The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1887-11-24
VANCE TO THE FARMERS.
81 AM NOT A FARMER, BUT A
POLITICIAN.''
Abstract OF Senator Vance's Speech,
Delivered at the 25th Annual Fair of
the Cumberland County Agricultural
Society
From the Fayetteville Observer.

Society.
From the Fayetteville Observer.
am not farmer but politician
and as such am ever willing to speak
word to promote North Carolina's
main interest, which is agriculture. II
is also the greatest business of the
world. By it is to be solved the great
est problem of time-how to feed the
human race Wars have become less
frequent, public morals have improv
ed and SO the generation Of man
lengthens. The tendency of popula
tion is to out-grow the means of sus-
tanning life. The business of the far
mer is is to cheek this tendency by in
creasing the food supply, and thus he
becomes the savior Of mankind in
temporal matters The demands of
mans animal nature must be supplied.
In the Middle Ages the aristocracy
was the best fed class, and hence held
complete ascendency. There is the
same difference between weil-fed and
illfed nationsssas between well-fed and
i'll fed classes or individuals.
From the plains of Aran westward
went the march Of civilization Amer
ica was discovered, and relieved Eur
ope Of It's excessive population. But
there are now no new worlds to dis
cover. The time comes when .sa. can
not afford to neglect the old, well-wcrn
lands for those that are new and fresh.
How can you, farmers, meet The de
msnds Of steadily increasing popula-
tion Farmers, you don't know ev-
erything, even about farming. You
must know more science. You live
more by tradition than by science
You are but repeating the experiments
Of your fathers, and this costs much
III both money and time. Our fathers
did not know more than we know. Ia
Cur day science aids YOU by finding
new compounds of fertility, art aiis
you by making suitable implements
and by furnishing the means of rapid
transportation. But you must aid
yourselves One way Of doing this is
by organization. All trades and pro
fessi0ns are now organized but you.
Nothing can be said against this when
it is for righteous ends and righteous
done. You need organization to sc,
cure reliable apd honest labor. For
no sufficient reason laborer leaves
you in the busiest season and is en-
ployed by your neighbor only to prac
tice the same trick on HIM.
Organization is needed in order to
secure prompt and reliable informa-
ton about the markets of the world.
Why should you not know the real
condition of the cotton crop the world
over as well as the Wall street broker?
You have very little to say about the
prices of what you sell or buy.
Organization is needed to secure
healthfil legislation. Farmers never
lobby. In my life I never saw a far
mer in Washington lobbying for his
interests. When a man takes me by
one button-hole and begs me to keep
up the duty on blankets, trace chains,
&c, why don't you catch me by the
other button-hoie and say Vance,
don't?" The banks have secured
monopoly by lobbying. The bond
holders get their interest paid in gold
and pay no tax on their bonds by lob
bying. Thus have the railroads Sc
cured monopoly. Farmers quietly
submit, yet they have power to shape
legislation somewhat in favor of the
man who produces from the soil.
The South is prosperous compared
with its former self, but not when COM
pared with the great Northwest. Not
a single farmer in North Carolina has
made fortune since the war by farm
ing. If he escape the sheriff he is
prosperous. But we see dealers in
farmers products get rich.
No people ever yet grew rich by
raising one crop from year to year.
Those who thus farm are running the
soil. No one has right to treat
land as if he were to own it forever.
We hold our lands for our children.
There is NO agricultural wealth with
out rich soil, no rich soil without
stock, no good stock without grasses.
Farmers, you are the stewards of a
mercliul God for producing and dis
tributing food for all the rest of man
kind. As such respect YOU May
you soon see and satisfy the pressing
needs of the times